Jaxon Smith-Njigba has not needed to wait long to secure his Seahawks extension. The reigning Offensive Player of the Year agreed to terms with Seattle on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. 
Team and player are finalizing a four-year, $168.6MM pact, Schefter reports. With Smith-Njigba’s fifth-year option having recently been picked up, today’s news means he will be on the books through 2031. This agreement contains record-breaking receiver figures for average annual value ($42.15MM) and guarantees ($120MM), per Schefter.
An extension resetting the receiver market had been something to watch for in this case, although nothing appeared to be imminent with respect to negotiations leading up to today’s news. Seattle was seen as a candidate to finalize this deal sometime around the draft or perhaps closer to training camp, but both sides have acted early. The fact that Smith-Njigba has secured such lucrative terms on his second NFL contract is certainly no surprise.
As a rookie, the former first-rounder averaged fewer than 37 receiving yards per game. Over time, though, Seattle’s setup at the receiver spot has made Smith-Njigba more of a focal point. His production saw a notable jump in 2024 (100 receptions, 1,130 yards, six touchdowns) before spiking once more this past season. With the Seahawks having traded away D.K. Metcalf, Smith-Njigba saw his yards per reception figure increase to a career-best 15.1. He also set a new personal mark with 10 touchdowns while leading the NFL in receiving yards.
That production resulted in a first-team All-Pro nod along with a Pro Bowl invitation in addition to OPOY honors. Smith-Njigba remained an important contributor on offense through Seattle’s playoff run and helped the team win Super Bowl LX. Along with left tackle Charles Cross – who inked a four-year extension of his own in January – he will serve as a foundational presence for years to come.
Prior to today’s news, Ja’Marr Chase led the way in terms of AAV at the receiver spot. His 2025 Bengals extension averages $40.25MM per season, while Justin Jefferson‘s Vikings deal contained $88.74MM guaranteed at signing. Exact details on this Smith-Njigba contract are not yet known, but it certainly seems as though he has managed to comfortably surpass Jefferson in terms of locked-compensation. 2027 was already due to include $23.85MM for the Ohio State product; it will now pay out much more than that.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider once again faces the task of maintaining a Super Bowl core in the wake of his team’s championship. Smith-Njigba and Cross are among the offensive stalwarts who will be counted on to remain in the fold for the foreseeable future. The same will presumably be true of cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Seattle’s other 2023 first-rounder is under team control for the next two seasons thanks to his option being exercised, but he is eligible to sign a monster extension of his own at any time.
Attention will now turn to Witherspoon in the Seahawks’ case with respect to remaining financial priorities. Around the league, meanwhile, this Smith-Njigba accord will no doubt be used as a measuring stick for other high-end receiver deals. Puka Nacua is among the top players at the position in line for an extension, and he could look to challenge these contract terms during negotiations with the Rams. The likes of George Pickens (Cowboys) and Zay Flowers (Ravens) could stand to benefit from the continued upward movement of the WR market as well.
The Seahawks lost offensive Klint Kubiak when he took the Raiders’ head coaching job immediately after the Super Bowl. As such, Smith-Njigba will be working with his fourth OC (Brian Fleury) in as many years during the 2026 campaign. Given his durability and continued increases in production, however, he will be expected to thrive under a new play-caller for next season and well beyond.
Hard for a receiver to make a better case to break the bank. Especially when you include a Super Bowl win and a generous amount of cap space.
I was just reading the post from yesterday when they were talking about extending him and Spoon. This is great news now get Spoon in the fold for those same 5 years. Option year plus 4 year extension. Keep up the great work John.
Oooohh-weee! Setting the market high.
Well deserved now I wonder what my boy Drake London gets
Drake is my boy too. If he can stay healthy and have consistent qb play he could have a JSN type year. Dude is a balla
He doesn’t get enough respect man
Amazing what teams are paying to QBs, Edge, LT and WRs. Sucks if you play any other position because the money isn’t there for you.
He’s a great player but wow this just seems insane.
I don’t know that he’s on the level of Chase and Jefferson, as great as he is. They’re both generational players.
A good comparison would be the edge market.
Prior to Hunter getting his one year extension (and at one point he too was considered generational, possibly), only the absolute top generational DEs had $40 million per year contracts.
Same with WRs. Even going over $30 million per was reserved for the 1a tier at worst. Now every impressive young WR is about to hit $40 million per year thanks to this contract. I can only imagine how many WRs will hit $30 million per.
Are those other guys really on the level of Chase or Jefferson? I’m not so sure.
Don’t get me wrong. If I were starting a team, I’d go with Jefferson or Chase before him, but what JSN just did is pretty damn generational. He led the NFL in target share. That passing attack ran through him to a crazy degree and he couldn’t have done better with it. He also did that before turning 24. Pretty incredible.